impersonal
UK[ɪmˈpɜːs(ə)n(ə)l]US[ɪmˈpɜːrs(ə)n(ə)l]
adj
lacking human feelings or warmth; not showing or involving personal feelings
adj
not referring to any particular person; objective
adj
(grammar) (of a verb) used without a subject, as in 'it is raining'
Morpheme Breakdown
im
person
al
im
not
person
human individual
al
adjective suffix
Etymology
the word 'impersonal' is a direct borrowing from late latin 'impersonalis', itself a combination of the negative prefix 'in-' and the adjective 'personalis', meaning 'of a person'. the latin 'persona' originally referred to a theatrical mask, which by extension came to signify a character played by an actor and, ultimately, an individual human being. therefore, the literal construction 'not of a person' evolved to describe anything devoid of personal character, emotion, or reference, encompassing meanings from cold detachment in manner to grammatical constructions without a specific subject. this journey from a theatrical mask to an abstract quality exemplifies how a concrete term can develop nuanced, figurative applications.
Analysis
Structure: im (not) + person (human individual) + al (adjective suffix)
- im: latin origin, a prefix meaning 'not', variant of 'in-' before 'p'.
- person: latin origin (from 'persona', meaning 'mask, character, person'), the core noun denoting a human being.
- al: latin origin (via french '-el', '-al'), an adjective-forming suffix meaning 'of, relating to, or characterized by'.
Examples
the letter was written in a cold, impersonal tone.
the law should be administered in a fair and impersonal manner.
in the sentence 'it is snowing', the verb 'is snowing' is used in an impersonal way.